Asahi: N.K. publicly executed troupe members to cover up rumors over Ri

North Korean publicly executed in August nine members of the Eunhasu orchestra and the Wangjaesan art troupe to cover up a scandal regarding Ri Sol Ju, the wife of its leader Kim Jong Un, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported on Saturday, citing senior North Korean officials who recently defected the Stalinist country.

According to the news report, the incident was sparked by a pornographic movie that was produced to feature the nine members. While conducting eavesdropping of conversation between them, the North’s public security ministry secured dialogue that “Ri Sol Ju also played around like them in the past.”

Kim reportedly arrested the nine on August 17 due to concern that the scandal regarding Ri be made public. Hence, he had them publicly shot to death in the presence of ranking officials from the military and the ruling party and members of the orchestra at the military training ground of Kang Kon military cadet school in the outskirts of Pyongyang three days later, even without referring them to trial. Bereaved family members of the nine were sent to political prison camps, and the two musical troupes established by late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il have been disbanded.

“This fact is believed to have been confirmed by the South Korean and Japanese governments as well,” the newspaper said. “The two troupes have disappeared from the North’s official media since early August, and music from the two companies is not available for download from the website of a video company that the North operates with its servers placed overseas.”

Ri Sol Ju married Kim Jong Un in June 2012, while serving as an Eunhasu orchestra singer.